Recovery of potash.



1mm G. BBEYEB, or ramvmmon, fennnsvnvama.

' RECOVERY OF- POTASH.

1,236,903, In Drawing.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that LFRANK" G. BREYER, a citizenof the United. States, residing at .Palmort'on, in the county of Carbon and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the Recovery'of Potash; andaI do hereby declare the following'to be a 'full, clear, and

- exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it IaFpei-tains to mitke and use the same.

. y invention relatesgto'the recovery of potash from carbonaceous material and refuse, such. as shales, "slates, poets, bony 5 coals, waste coal, cuhn, etc, which are rela tively low in oarboncontent and in calorific value but high in ash constituents, and particularly from the material constituting the refuse slate dumps produced in the mining so and-preparation of coal.

carrying out the invention, various types of combustion furnaces can be used, inasmuch as the process is primarily a com: bustion process. I have found, however, that the process can be practised in asimple and'advanta'g'eous manner in an ordinary pig iron blust'furnace, which ,is operated in the customary mai'uicr ofsuch furnaces. In

' usin such a furnacmthe carbonaceous mate ['80 or refuse from the dumps, along with the rejections from the operations of the J -collieries of similar nature to thedmnp material, is chargodinto the furnace, together .amithhibhemproper addition of limestone to the charge. and escapes frorhthe top ofthe' fllrnace togeth'er withlthe oducts-of com biistion. From such 'escap' gfproduc'ts of combination the. potash is separated and gcau jhtin suitabledryidust catchers, or wet iwfl bbers, inthcfonn of water soluble ..-|a1a or solutions.

l0. :The dustcatchersmay be ths type commonly usedwith blast furnaces, either irlone crlin connection-with bag houses, such T commonly tocatch'rnetallur cal fumes, or electrical .precipitators, suc as Q-thoseo'f the Cottrclltype, etc. With suit- .able catchers, or scrubbers, substan- -with the ash present in the Owing to the intense heat of the furnace,

Specification of Letter: Patent. Patented Aug, 14, 1917,

Application filed August 28, 1915. Serial No. 47,516.

of thc potash can "be obtained.

In practising the processof theinvention m an ordinary pigircn blast furnace, the operation is continuous. Tho carbonaceous refuse and limestone are charged, into the tially quantitative separation and recovery top of the furnace; and the slag is tapped out at intervals at the'jbottom. The potash carrying dust or solution is removed from time to time from the dust catchers, bag houses, scrubbers, etc.

Instead of using a hiss-t furnace, the

process'can be practised in other types of .furuuces, such as those provided with stationary or traveling gratesv The carbonaeeous refuse is burned on the grates with more or lessdimostone. Further "ndditionsof cuhn coal of relatively-higher curbon convalue of the charge is increased, so that it is possible to utilize 'slnte refuse which is-itseli too poor in carbon. to support combustion and to give the required hQiIlPtiifiLlMlO- The yolatilized potash caught and separated in a manner siinilarto that already described.

Similar additions of oulm oi relatively higher calorific value can also lit-[made to the blast furnace charge, when the bin-st furnace is used. 7 v

In order to increas the output of the furnaces, and the yield of potusln'various mil1 erals rich in" potash, such iis-fcidspan greensand, alunite, etc, can he added to the carhonaceous charge. combustion process, the heat produced durin the combustionjs made available for, e eating the separation of the potashfrorn the mineral thusadded, so thut there results both thevpotush from the carbonaceous ma terial itself and that from the added potashcontaining material.

I It is also advantageous, in some doses, to add sulhcieut lunestone to the carbonaceouschnrga to give a slag or clinker having, the

"composition of cement clinker, from which cement can be'marle by suitable-grinding. Thus, when the process '18 practised in a blast furnace, the added limestone is calculated so as to reduce, with the niinoral' constituents of-t o cai'bonaceousvmaterial,

a slag of suitable composition, for use as cement.

Since the process is a From the above description, it will be seen that the )rocess of the present inven; tion is a'com ustion process, making use of waste carbonaceous ,inatcrial and refuse, and recovering, from such materials, their potash values; and thatwvhere other potash containing minerals are added to the char e, the process becomes one for recovering t 'e potash from these added minerals, as well as from the carbonaceous material itself.

I claim: v

1. The process of recoverin potash from carbonaceous material and re use relatively low in carbon content and high in ash con stituents, which comprises burning such material, with suitable additions of limestoneto, combine with the ash constituents, at a temperature sutlicient to volatilize 'the potash, and separating the volatilized. potash from. the resulting products of combustion; substantially as described.

2. The proce s of recovering potash from carbonaceous material and refuse relatively low in carbon coi'itent and high in ash constituents, which comprises burning such material, with suitable'adilitions of limestone to combine with ash constituents and of culin coal-of higher caloriiic value, at a temperature sutiicient to *roiatilirie the potash, and separating the volatilized pot-ash from theresulting products of combustion; substantially as described.

3: The process of recovering potash from carbonaceous material and refuse relatively low in carbon content and high in ash constitucnts, which comprises burning such ma terial in a last furnace, with suitable additions of limestone to form a stag, at a temperature sufficient to volatilize the potash, and separating the volatilized potash from. the escaping products of combustion; substantially as described.

t. The continuous process of recovering potash from carbonaceous material and refuse relative y low in carbon content and high in ash constituents, which comprises burning such material in a blast furnace, with suitable additions of limestone to form a slag, at a temperature sutlicicut to volatiliZe the; potash and hrmluc'ce a slag, charging further amouuts of the carbouaccous material and limestone into the topoitlublast furnace, tapping oli' lhcslac from the bottom of 't-be turnacc.-' :zuju separating the volatiliz'ul potash l 'roiuj tin products of I combustion escaping at the top of, the furnace; substantially asdescribed. .3;

5. The process of recoverin potash from. carbonaceous material and re use relatively low in carbon content and high in ash constituents, which comprises burnin such ma terial, withsuitable additions o limestone to combine with the ash constituents and of minerals rich in potash, at a temperature. sufficient to volatilize the potash, and separating the volatilized potash from the 'msulting products of combustion, substantially as described.

6. The contin-uous process of necoverin potash fromcarbonaceous. material and refuse relatively low in carbon content and ,high in ash constituents, which comprises burning such material in a blast furnace, with suitable additions of minerals rich in potash and of limestone to form aslag, at a temperature suflicient-to volatilize the potash and produce a slag, charging further amounts of the carbonaceous material, rich potash mineral and limestoneinto the top of the blast fhm-aetapping off the slag from the bottom of the furnace, and-sepa rating the volatiliz'ed potash from the prodnets of combustion escaping at the top of the furnace; substantially as described.

7. The process of recoveringpotash from carbonaceous material and refuse relatively low in carbon content and high in ashconstituents, which comprises burning suchmatcrial, with suitable additions of limestone to form a slag or clinker having thescome position of cement clinker, at a temperature su icicut to volatilize the potash, and separating the volatilizcd potash fromth'e resultin tial'ly as described.

potash from carbonaceous material and refuse relat vely low in carbon content and high Hl' ash constituents, \\'ll1(.ll comprises burning such material in a blast furnace,

I1RANK: o. iiREYER.

products of combustion; snbstan- 8.,lhc continuous process of reco\'er1ng-'- 

